Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: NHL-Teams

The arbitration hearing that will determine the immediate and potential long-term future of star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk has wrapped up in Boston and now the hockey world, specifically Kovalchuk, the New Jersey Devils and the NHL, wait for arbitrator Richard Bloch to render a decision on the matter.

Bloch has until the end of business Monday to rule on whether the NHL was justified in rejecting the 17-year, $102 million contract Kovalchuk signed with the Devils last month. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated at the time the NHL rejected the contract that it was doing so because the deal circumvents the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“We believed we could have been there (Stanley Cup Final) in any of the last couple of seasons. This might be the best team we’ve had in the last three of four years, so, we are certainly capable of getting there.”

-Washington Capitals General Manager George McPhee. More on the Capitals from Michelle Scalise of CSN Washington.

I hear he’s gotten a clean bill of health and has begun taking physicals for a few teams. I think he’ll sign soon. The former Wild defenseman, I’m told, actually could sign a contract with performance bonuses because he spent 100 days on injured reserve last year—including the playoffs. The CBA doesn’t spell out whether the 100 days is only during the regular season, so it appears after inquiries from Mitchell and the player, the league will allow this type of contract. I bet it’ll be for a base of $1 or $1.5 million on a one-year deal plus bonuses.

He’s not coming to Minnesota. I think Washington and San Jose are definite possibilities. I also hear he met with Vancouver recently, although I don’t know how the Canucks can re-sign Mitchell since they’re over the cap.

Like so many Flyers this offseason, Laperriere has also paid close attention to the Flyers offseason moves, and after squeezing in a couple family vacations this summer, he is ready to get back at it.

“I’m excited and hungry. Last season was a great run but we ended up short. I’m hungrier to go even further and going further means winning the Cup this season. I’m sure everybody feels the same way as I do.”

“I’ve played against Jody (Shelley). He is one of the toughest guys in the league. When you have a guy like that other teams will be hesitant to try and push us around because he will be in our line-up. That’s always welcome.”

Nobody is predicting that any of the 11 players we’re about to mention will sign with another team, but there’s always a chance and then we would have a much bigger story. Either way, here is a list of restricted free agents that are young, talented, marketable and waiting.

Carey Price, Montreal—This one is interesting on so many levels. For one, the Canadiens gave up some of their negotiating power when they traded Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis, thereby making Price the man in La Belle Province. However, Price hasn’t done enough yet in the League (60-48-18, 2.73 GAA) to warrant a mega-deal….

James Neal, Dallas—Neal experienced a bump in his production from his rookie season to his second season as he went from 24 to 27 goals and from 13 to 28 assists. He played in only one more game (78 vs. 77). Clearly he got better, but how much are the Stars willing to shell out in cash for him?...

The Montreal Canadiens’ contract negotiations with goaltender Carey Price are certainly going at a slower pace, but that does not mean the club is looking at other options in net.

Price’s agent Gerry Johannson told the Montreal Gazette on Wednesday his understanding was that there was no truth to the rumours that the Habs could go after unrestricted free agent netminder Antti Niemi.

He confirmed he will be in Detroit for a press conference on Friday to sign with the Red Wings.

I asked him why he didn’t need to skate to see if he really wanted to play again.

“We had scheduled this trip and it kind of fell in the middle of all of that, and they have been nice enough to wait for me, so I just knew I wanted to play and I knew we needed to get this done. They have some contracts that they need to take care of, and this just felt right and makes sense to me.”

Did you give any thought to playing in Minnesota or San Jose or any other place really?

“I did, but Detroit pushed very hard from the start. They want me there, they think I can help, and they’re very open about it. That was neat. It’s such a good organization and they really, really believe they’re going to have a great team this year. They said the injuries were ridiculous last year, and they’re ready to bounce back from that. I really think they’re a team where you can think about winning it all.”

To have a guy like Mike Babcock show so much confidence in you has to be a pretty good feeling.

“It came to the point that I could stick around and probably get a one-year deal here, but what for? ... I’m leaving the NHL as a Montreal Canadien. What more can I say? I’ve been blessed with all the teams I’ve played for and all the people I’ve met.”

-Glen Metropolit who signed with EV Zug in Switzerland. More from Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette.